There really are Web browsers besides Internet Explorer. Lots of them. It’s true that Internet Explorer is the most widely-used browser, but that’s only because it comes bundled with each Windows operating system. If you want to try a browser with more speed, more flexibility and more security, the one that is attracting the most attention is Google’s Chrome. The current version is Chrome 8 – eight upgrades after only two years of existence. Never content to rest on their laurels, Google has Chrome 9 in beta testing.

Your first encounter with Chrome is on Google’s Web site (http://www.google.com/chrome). Click a button and it downloads and installs. Along the way it asks what you want to use as a search engine, offering a choice of Google, Yahoo or Bing. I chose Bing. Next, it asks if you want Chrome to be your default browser. I clicked yes. Finally, it asked if I wanted to import my browsing history, bookmarks and saved passwords from Firefox and Safari, the other browsers that are installed. I clicked yes to the bookmarks and passwords, no to the history. Finally, it asked which theme, or graphic design, I would like to use on my home page. It wasn’t easy choosing a favorite from among the several dozen that were presented. After that I was up and browsing. Download to installation to surfing happens very quickly, depending, of course, on your Internet connection and the capabilities of your hardware

That was the entire installation. A couple of minutes. No wizards to claw your way through. No need to shut down and restart. The entire operation was clean and fast.

Chrome is the only browser to come with Adobe Flash built in, rather than requiring a separate installation. And the frequent Flash updates are handled automatically by the browser. Chrome also has a PDF reader built in – one fewer plug-in to download and install. You can print the PDF as you would any Web page.

Chrome offers extensions – utilities, news sources, games, shopping, etc – that are available free from the Tools submenu of the customization menu. Personally, I don’t plan to use them because of the plethora of similar links on my home page, http://www.ceoexpress.com.

The concern for speed, ease of use and functionality is also seen in the security measures. Chrome uses SafeBrowsing anti-malware and anti-phishing protection. To protect from crashes due to malicious code or a poorly coded site, Chrome runs each tab in a separate process, so that if one tab crashes it won’t take down the entire browser.

These days privacy is as big a concern as security. Chrome’s Incognito mode lets you move around the Web without leaving traces of your activity. In fact, you can have one tab in Incognito mode while viewing others in public mode.

Chrome has impressed the Web community enough to make it the fastest growing browser in terms of market share, approaching 10 percent as of early December.

Because of Chrome’s speed, extension capability, tab functionality, incognito browsing mode, built-in Flash and PDF reading, and syncing capabilities, it has been named PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice, unseating Firefox from a position it had held for several years. Chrome has pulled ahead of Firefox by simplifying its interface and increasing its speed. Other browsers have even more catching up to do in order to remain competitive

It remains to be seen how Chrome will stack up against Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9, which is currently in beta testing.

Stan Elias writes on business and technology issues and operates Tensor Communications, a West Barnstable-based marketing and communications agency specializing in high-tech companies. He can be reached at
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